NAPLES ME (9/14) One of Northern New England’s biggest and most diverse racing weekends gets underway Thursday evening September 15 when Beech Ridge Motor Speedway hosts the Mid Week Open, the traditional kickoff to PASS 400 weekend presented by Southern Maine Motors.com
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MIKE HOPKINS TAKES POINTS TITLE BY ONE POINT
Wayne Parritt of Steuben took the lead in the Dysart’s Late Model feature from Winterport’s Ryan Deane on lap 27 at Speedway 95 Saturday night and went on to win the 35 lap feature, posting his second win in four weeks. Deane Smart of Bradley was close behind, challenging Parritt for the position, but unable to complete a pass and settling for second in the season finale. Meanwhile, Ellsworth’s Andy Saunders was working his way up from the 12th starting position to finish third, and also became a factor in the divisions’ point’s race. Ryan Deane and Mike Hopkins of Hermon started the night only one point apart in the standings. Deane had finished second in the first qualifier, putting him seven points ahead. Then Hopkins won his qualifier, gaining 10 points, retaking the lead by a 3 point margin. In the feature, Deane led the first 27 laps of the event, but Hopkins was mired in fifth, with a right front tire that was slowly losing air. Unable to make any progress, Hopkins was helpless to do anything but ride, letting lady luck determine his fate. That luck came in the form of Saunders who crossed the finish line in third by a nose over Deane, relegating Deane to a fourth place finish. With 2 points difference in each position, when Hopkins finished in fifth, his points lead for the season and the championship was down to one. Fortunately for Hopkins, the top five had separated themselves from the remainder of the field by enough of a margin so no one else could pass Hopkins, who continued to slow as his tire leaked. After crossing the finish line, Hopkins went to the pit showering sparks as his suspension scraped the track due to the now flat tire. A quick tire change by his crew brought Hopkins back out to do the now popular “burnout” to celebrate his championship. The remainder of the night’s finishing order in the Dysart’s Late Models was 6. Don Alexander Jr., Carmel, 7. Duane Seekins, Stockton Springs, 8. John Kalel II, Orrington, 9. Donny Blanchard, Sangerville, 10. George Dunn, Eastbrook, 11. Alex Waltz, Damariscotta, 12. Bob Seger Jr. Framkfort, 13. Lloyd Nickerson, Corinth. 14. Dale Swoboda, Hermon, 15. Shane Clark, Winterport. (more…)
Unity, Maine – Jeff Burgess of East Madison scored his sixth Late Model feature race victory of the season Saturday night at Unity Raceway on a stock car racing program that saw both Steve Rackliff of Starks (Late Model Pro Four) and Jayson Bosworth of Cornville (Flyin’ 4) pull off last-lap triumphs in their main events.
Burgess, locked in a tight battle for the track championship with Skowhegan’s David Folsom, charged past his championship rival’s son, David ‘Deuce’ Folsom II, to take command of the Late Model 35-lapper. In the closing laps the elder Folsom made his way into second position, but he could not catch the high-flying Burgess.
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Unity, Maine – Jeff Burgess of East Madison outdueled Will Collins of Waldoboro to earn his fifth Late Model feature race victory of the season at Unity Raceway Saturday night. The triumph vaulted Burgess to the top of the championship standings by a narrow margin over Skowhegan’s David Folsom, who finished sixth after a late-race spin.
David ‘Deuce’ Folsom II set the pace for the first half of the 35-lap main event, with Collins taking command after a long, spirited battle for the top spot that also included Freedom’s Dylan Turner. After a spin cost Turner a shot at victory, Burgess and Collins raced for the lead side-by-side for several laps.
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SWOBODA TAKES CRASH MARRED 95 LATE MODEL FEATURE
Hermon’s Dale Swoboda started on the front row of the 35 lap Dysart’s Late Model Feature at Speedway 95 Saturday night, but what happened in between made it far from an easy run for him. Swoboda and Ryan Deane of Winterport battled side by side in the early laps, swapping the lead several times before Deane took the point. A caution on lap 4 bunched the field back up when George Dunn of Eastbrook side-slapped Winterport’s Shane Clark, sending him to the infield. Clark recovered, but restarted at the rear of the 15 car field. Another yellow fell on lap 9, when John Kalel II stopped the race for a flat tire. On the restart, it was Swoboda and Deane again until lap 19, when points leader Mike Hopkins brought out the caution as he slowed due to a flat right front tire. A quick trip to the pit and Hopkins was back out, but at the back of the field. Four more yellows for minor incidents kept the field close, but Wayne Parritt of Steuben had worked his way up past Swoboda and was battling Deane for the lead on lap 32. Hopkins had also returned to the front of the field, riding in fourth when Parritt and Deane started bumping and spinning each other as they raced for the lead with 3 to go. Swoboda somehow got by, but Hopkins ended up on his roof on the back stretch after hitting the back stretch retaining wall trying to avoid what Parritt and Deane were doing in front of him . Hopkins climbed out of his wrecked car, and was out for the night. The red flag that stopped the field on lap 32 for that incident set up a 3 lap dash for the checkers with Swoboda at the head of the field. Swoboda led the pack under the green, with Duane Seekins beside him. As the cars got back up to speed, Seekins tucked in behind Swoboda, and Shane Clark made a mad dash for the front on the outside, passing Seekins on the final lap, finishing in second just behind Swoboda when he drove under the checkers for his third win of the season. Seekins finished third, with Deane Smart of Bradley in fourth. Donny Blanchard of Bangor posted a fifth place finish. Hopkins and Deane won the evening’s Late Model qualifiers. (more…)
Mainely Motorsports TV – August 31st Show